1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable intelligent communications device and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for handling incoming calls received by such portable intelligent communications device during a meeting.
2. Description of Related Art
A new class of communication devices has been developed which includes a full computer integrated with the communications hardware and software. These devices, known as portable intelligent communications devices, differ significantly from personal digital assistants (PDAs) and handheld personal computers (HPCs) in that they are designed extensively to be a communications device rather than merely a xe2x80x9cmobile computer.xe2x80x9d As such, the top features for the communications device are telephony, enhanced telephony, messaging, and information services. In order to enable at least some of these features, the portable intelligent communications device is able to be connected to the Internet by either a wired link or a wireless link. It will also be understood that certain software applications are provided within the portable intelligent communications device to facilitate the aforementioned features, as well as other desirable features such as a Personal Information Manager (PIM), games, and the like. An exemplary portable intelligent communications device is shown and disclosed in a patent application entitled xe2x80x9cSwitching Of Analog Signals In Mobile Computing Devicesxe2x80x9d and having Ser. No. 08/796,119, which is owned by the assignee of the present invention and is hereby incorporated by reference.
It will be understood that the aforementioned portable intelligent communications device is targeted to the traveling business person. Since this type of user will constantly be engaged in meetings and other activities during which normal operation of the portable intelligent communications device would be awkward or inappropriate, it is desirable for the portable intelligent communications device to activate an operational mode consistent therewith. As disclosed in a patent application entitled xe2x80x9cApparatus And Method For Configuring Settings Of A Portable Intelligent Communications Device During A Meeting,xe2x80x9d having Ser. No. 08/955,913, which is also owned by the assignee of the present invention and is hereby incorporated by reference, this would involve configuring a series of settings for the portable intelligent communications device (e.g., handling and/or diverting incoming communications, disabling alarms, etc.). The ""913 patent application involves the enabling and disabling of such meeting mode settings both manually and automatically, but it involves maintaining the same settings for all incoming calls while the meeting mode is employed. Since a user of the portable intelligent communications device may desire to handle some incoming calls thereto differently than others when in a meeting, and identification of the source for each incoming call is readily available, it would be desirable for an operational mode used during a meeting to offer the option of handling each incoming call in an individual manner.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for handling incoming calls to a portable intelligent communications device when the user thereof is engaged in a meeting or other similar activity.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for handling each incoming call to a portable intelligent communications device in an individual manner when the user thereof is engaged in a meeting or other similar activity.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for handling incoming calls to a portable intelligent communications device which provides several options for each incoming call when the user is engaged in a meeting or other similar activity.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for handling incoming calls to a portable intelligent communications device which is automatically activated when the user is engaged in a meeting or other similar activity and automatically deactivated upon completion of such meeting or activity.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for handling incoming calls to a portable intelligent communications device which is manually activated when the user is engaged in a meeting or other similar activity and manually deactivated upon completion of such meeting or other activity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for handling incoming calls to a portable intelligent communications device when the user is engaged in a meeting or other similar activity which identifies the source of each incoming call.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for handling incoming calls to a portable intelligent communications device when the user is engaged in a meeting or other similar activity which alerts the user when an incoming call is received.
These objects and other features of the present invention will become more readily apparent upon reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the following drawings.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a method for handling incoming calls during an operational mode for a portable intelligent communications device when a user thereof is engaged in a meeting is disclosed where the portable intelligent communications device is configured to handle each incoming call in an individual manner. When an incoming call is received while in such operational mode, a plurality of options are generated in a graphical user interface. The user of the portable intelligent communications device then activates one of the options made available for handling each incoming call. The method may also include the steps of identifying a source for each incoming call and alerting the user of the portable intelligent communications device when an incoming call is received.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a portable intelligent communications device is disclosed as including circuitry for performing telephony operations, a processing circuit, a display screen coupled to the processing circuit, and a graphical user interface for configuring the portable intelligent communications device to handle incoming calls during an operational mode for a meeting. A plurality of options for handling incoming calls in an individual manner is provided on the display screen when each incoming call is received, whereupon a user of the portable intelligent communications device activates one of such options.